what is a direct bolt in for 97 civic ex?

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buconine

New Member
I have a 97 civic ex that tossed a rod. It is vin 8 1.6 vtec engine/auto trans. I can't find one of these engines locally and need to get this thing running for my son.
I'm a little confused on the whole d16y7, y8, etc. I assume my car is the d16y8 by the vin?
Can I use the base 1.6 non vtec block with my head?
Can i use the vin 7 vtec-e engine or block without alot of messing around?
I can find the base engines and the vtec-e engines. What's the difference between the vtec and vtec-e?
Any other simple options?
I'm not looking for performance gains, just a good reliable car for a 16 yr old to drive.

Thanks for the forums and any help!
 
yes if you have the EX then you have a D16Y8, you could just get another D16Y8 or a D16Y7 from the CX or DX. The Y7 and Y8 both have VTEC.
 
Thanks for the info!

I've tried finding a d16y8 but didn't have any luck in my town. I can get the d16y7 at several places. Is the cyl head the only difference between the y7 and y8? Would it be worth putting my head on the y7 block?

Confused, was looking at another site and found this.
d16y7 1.6 sohc non-vtec
d16y5 1.6 sohc vtec-e
d16y8 1.6 sohc vtec

I take it i need the y5 and swap my head on it correct?

Thanks for the help!
 
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you will need to do some work to install a vtec head on a non-vtec block. your best option is to find a vtec block, whether its 1.5 or 1.6 liters, and install your head on it. this will be the cheapest solution.
 
buconine said:
I have a 97 civic ex that tossed a rod. It is vin 8 1.6 vtec engine/auto trans. I can't find one of these engines locally and need to get this thing running for my son.
I'm a little confused on the whole d16y7, y8, etc. I assume my car is the d16y8 by the vin?
Can I use the base 1.6 non vtec block with my head?
Can i use the vin 7 vtec-e engine or block without alot of messing around?
I can find the base engines and the vtec-e engines. What's the difference between the vtec and vtec-e?
Any other simple options?
I'm not looking for performance gains, just a good reliable car for a 16 yr old to drive.

Thanks for the forums and any help!
Click to expand...
you have a d16y8 vtec motor in there now and any d series will drop right in but for it to wire right up it needs to be from the same year as your car the y7 is a non vtec motor, but you could put your y8 head on it and it will be fine, the vtec e motor is made to have good f/e were the normal vtec motor are more powerful, the b series motors will also drop right in and wire right up with out many mods its the next easiest next to the d series
 
Thanks,that is what i am looking for. I have easy access to y5 and y7 engines, just not a y8. I am going to pull the engine tonight and make sure the head is good after tossing the rod out the block. Is one short block better than the other or are all D16 short blocks the same?

Thanks!
 
Well, got the engine out and torn down. The head is toast. When the rod broke, the piston smacked the head and bent the valves. Cam and journals are wasted too. Guess it is time to dig a little deeper to find a complete engine.

Thanks for the help guys!
 
Try to find another d-series, so you can use your current transmission. If you get a b-series, remember that you'll need a b-series transmission as well.
 
Ugh, $1400 for a used 100K miles y8 motor.

I sent the head out to the machine shop and they said it is fixable. I bought a y7 engine and am just going to rebuild it and stick my head on it. Are the blocks(rings/bearings) the same on the d16 engines? I need to order an engine kit. I guess order a y8 gasket set and a y7 rebuild kit or just order everything for a y8?

Thanks again guys!
 
buconine said:
Ugh, $1400 for a used 100K miles y8 motor.
Click to expand...

From where? That's insane. I see D-series engines selling on Craigslist for less then $500 (usually more like $200-$300) all the time...
 
Nebraska...There are no reasonable y8 engines around here in the salvage yards or craigslist. The ones i did find were way over 100K miles and $900 plus. I can buy the non-vtecs and vtec-e engines for $300+, that's what i ended up doing. I'm going to re-ring and bearing the y7 block and put my rebuilt y8 head on it. Fresh engine for less than a worn out boneyard one. Just going to toss the y7 head in the metal pile at work and be done. Hope it is as simple as everyone says...
 
um bro the y7 is non vtec. You would do best just to find a y8 block and swap your head on there. But if you wanna make it a minor project to add a little power find a d15 block then throw the y8 head on therer. Do the necessary mods to make it work and you will have yourself a bit of extra power, plus your car will love the high rpms.
 
don't just toss that head. man throw it on craigslist for like $35 or $40 and make a bit of money back on your swap. I just sold a stock y7 head with 127,000 miles on it for $50
 
From the looks of things the y7 short block is identical to a y8. Same crank, rods, pistons,etc. Why not use it?
 
Look on D-Series specific sites. I see Blocks and heads going for less then $200 all day long. Also check your local tuner shops. People who get swaps done usually leave the old motors at the shop. Some places will give the old D's away.
 
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